Who f'n cares what a poll says or thinks? It doesn't change the reality of what it means to any individual player, a spectator, a young designer, a historian or the general public.
Does this mean when it drops to 11th next year, and someday off the list, that it won't be the most well-known course in the world, or any less representative a height in design of when it was made, and yes---through the various iterations of change. Any less fun to watch a Masters? Any less desire to have the unique privilege to play it?
I mean for goodness sakes every frickin' April one of the 1200 lunatics who care enough to be on a board like this will regale us with their "First time going to Augusta" thread...and we'll all wish him well, give him advice, and anticipate his follow up thread. I think the 7th should be restored to a drivable/drive and pitch 4 as much as anybody, it's not killing me to watch the very artifical/Masterized version of that hole which exists today...in fact, for Masters' watching... I like the disfiguring difficulty now imposed on 1, 5, 7, 11, and 18... it's exciting to watch the best tackle these (for me) impossible tasks.
But these lists...they are as stupid as rating the presidents...gee whiz William McKinley dropped from 19th to 26th in the last poll...guess people are now re-thinking the "imperial thing"
ANGC's place in the canon of architecture and continued desirability of study, visits and play is quite secure...